The Mysterious Soldier of the Anti-Japanese War

Chapter 435: Night Raid on the Radio Station! A Desperate Counterattack Under the Neurotoxin

As night fell, Lei Tao's gaze swept across the battlefield. The charred craters, the mangled bodies of Japanese soldiers, and the still-smoking remains of poison gas canisters all betrayed the brutality of the fierce battle that had just ended.

He knew this was a narrow victory. The Japanese were known for their vengeance and would certainly not let this go. Furthermore, his troops were now facing a serious threat from chemical weapons. The most urgent task was to quickly transmit the intelligence while ensuring the safety of his troops.

Lei Tao quickly checked the Bagua gyro system and confirmed the temporary tasks of both systems. The primary task was to prevent our troops from entering the chemical weapons contaminated area. This required no compromise. He had to find Liu Zishan as soon as possible and inform him of this emergency.

Lei Tao reached for a map he had found on a Japanese soldier's corpse. Unfolding it, he saw not only detailed Japanese troop deployments but also a clear depiction of nearby geographical features and routes. A flash of inspiration struck him: perhaps he could use this map to plot a safe retreat route while avoiding chemical weapons contamination. While pondering, he stored the map in his Bagua gyroscope and hurried toward Liu Zishan's likely location. Along the way, relying on map markings and the Bagua gyroscope's navigational capabilities, he carefully circumvented possible chemical weapons contamination areas, searching for a safe path.

During the march, Lei Tao was constantly thinking about how to obtain intelligence from the Japanese radio stations. Those radio stations were the key to the Japanese command center, and if they could be successfully intercepted or destroyed, it would be extremely beneficial to their own battle situation.

Just then, a faint sound of footsteps could be heard ahead. Lei Tao instantly became alert and quickly hid behind a large tree. Squinting his eyes, he observed carefully through the darkness. He saw a group of Japanese soldiers cautiously moving through the trees, radio equipment in hand, clearly carrying out a communications mission.

A cold light flashed in Lei Tao's eyes. Isn't this the perfect opportunity to obtain intelligence from the Japanese radio station? He quietly took out the M1911 pistol and special silencer from the Bagua gyroscope space, and screwed the silencer on with skillful movements. Then, he gently pulled the bolt, loaded the bullet, and turned on the safety. Lei Tao squatted on the slope where humus piled up, and pressed his left hand against the dense heat dissipation holes on the surface of the silencer. The sweat on his palm made the metal slightly sticky. He bent his knees to gain leverage, and accurately locked onto the neck of the Japanese sergeant under the helmet. Compared with the temple, this was a safer target. The moment the trigger was pulled, the silencer muffled the sound of the gunshot into a wet cough. The sergeant fell forward, and the rifle hit the rock with a crisp thud.

"Baka! An ambush!" Seeing this, the Japanese soldiers in the back row kicked the sergeant's body aside and began to fire. Tracer bullets crisscrossed the treetops in a web of orange-red fire. Lei Tao, using the recoil, rolled sideways into the pit and quickly pulled out the three-pointed bayonet from his boot. As the nearest Japanese soldier bent down to examine the sergeant's body, he sprang out like a spring, piercing the man's lower jaw and severing his brain stem upwards. Warm blood splattered on his gas mask. Lei Tao then ripped the radio from the man's back and stuffed it into the Bagua gyroscope.

At that moment, a flare suddenly lit up in the woods, and Lei Tao's pupils shrank sharply. Twenty meters away, a Japanese sergeant was using his bayonet to pick up the corpse of a signalman. The moment the tip of his bayonet touched the ring of a booby trap, he seemed to sense something was wrong—the body, which should have been heavy, felt as light as a scarecrow.

"Get down!" the sergeant's cry was instantly drowned out by the explosion. The booby trap, swirling shrapnel and splintered wood, swept through the forest like a whirlwind, sending three Japanese soldiers flying backward with screams. Lei Tao took the opportunity to scramble through the burning brush, but a sudden, piercing pain shot through his abdomen. He knelt on one knee, reading the warning projected onto his retina: Neurotoxin concentration exceeded the permitted level by 17%.

Lei Tao dragged his exhausted body through the dense forest, each step feeling soft and feeble as if he were treading on cotton. He knew he needed to recover quickly, while also addressing the remaining toxic gas in his body. He hurriedly opened the Bagua Gyro space, found the antidote, and injected himself. Looking at the syringe in his hand, he couldn't help but smile bitterly. This action was indeed a bit like a drug addict desperate to inject himself during a drug addiction. But he quickly suppressed his emotion and regained his serious expression, knowing that this moment did not allow him to express any emotion. The antidote quickly took effect, and Lei Tao felt the burning and stinging sensation in his body gradually subside. He took a deep breath, trying to steady his breathing.

Just as Lei Tao breathed a sigh of relief, the system's prompt sounded again: "Task 2 has been completed successfully. Continue to pay attention to the progress of Task 1."

At the same time, a sergeant from a Japanese combat team was carefully turning over a corpse when he accidentally triggered an incendiary mine set by Lei Tao. With a muffled "boom," the immense impact instantly ignited an area within a 20-meter radius.

The raging fire spread like a demon, instantly devouring nearby trees and weeds. The sky-high flames were particularly dazzling in the pitch-black night, and thick smoke, carrying a pungent smell of burning, rose into the sky.

The Japanese army was in disarray. The commander shouted at the top of his lungs, "Concentrate your firepower! Don't panic! Combat Teams One and Two, put out the fire immediately! Everyone else, step up your alert and search the surrounding area. We must find the enemy responsible for this!"

The soldiers fighting the fire quickly recovered from their panic, grabbed whatever tools they could find, and rushed toward the blaze, trying to control it. However, the fire caused by the incendiary mines was extremely fierce, and the dry woods and weeds became the perfect fuel for the blaze. The flames, driven by the wind, continued to spread, making it impossible for their makeshift firefighting methods to easily suppress it.

At the same time, those Japanese soldiers who were not affected by the flames quickly moved away and took cover, their guns raised and watching their surroundings vigilantly, their eyes revealing fear and helplessness. After all, in this unfamiliar area, they had no idea where the enemy was hiding or when they would launch their next attack.

Meanwhile, Lei Tao had successfully broken through the Japanese blockade and was sprinting toward the mine. He heard the explosions and the clamor of the Japanese troops behind him, and a slight smile rose in his lips, knowing that the incendiary mine had achieved its intended effect, buying him precious time. But he also knew that the Japanese wouldn't give up; they would soon regroup and continue their pursuit.

Finally, Lei Tao returned to the mine. Seeing him safely back, his comrades relaxed a little. Liu Zishan quickly stepped forward and shook Lei Tao's hand tightly: "You're finally back. We were all worried sick. How is it? What's the situation outside?"

Lei Tao didn't bother to rest and quickly recounted his experience. He said in a hurried tone: "A Japanese squadron has arrived at the place where the scout team was destroyed. Although the incendiary mines I set caused some confusion for them, they will definitely chase us. We have to find a way to leave quickly. I found a map on the Japanese corpse, which may have a safe retreat route."

Upon hearing this, everyone gathered around. Lei Tao spread out a map on the ground, turned on his flashlight, pointed to a winding line, and said, "There's a small path here. It looks relatively hidden and can bypass the chemical weapons contaminated area. We can go from here to the cliff. Once we reach the cliff, we can use a rope to descend to the bottom of the mountain..."

Liu Hong frowned and thought for a moment before saying, "This road is too hidden. There is a high possibility of a Japanese ambush. We cannot take it lightly."

"Brother Lei is right!" A cheerful voice suddenly came from outside the mine. Eighth Route Army soldier Zhang Weiguo strode in, carrying a Hanyang rifle on his back, the barrel still caked with fresh mud. "We intercepted Japanese communications on the road. There are indeed two patrols on this trail, but their shift changes are fixed." He unfolded the simple map he carried with him and circled several key locations with a red pen. "We can use this time difference to slip through."

Zhou Zhiyuan of the Young Anti-Japanese and National Salvation Army lifted up his dew-soaked straw hat, revealing the bandage on his forehead: "Our team found a Japanese observation post on the western ridge, but there are only five people on the other side. Give me half an hour to get rid of them."

Liu Zishan rubbed his chin, "But the ropes on the cliff..." Before he could finish his words, Zhang Weiguo had already untied the hemp rope around his waist. "We've captured some Japanese climbing ropes. They're enough for twenty people to descend simultaneously." He turned to Zhou Zhiyuan, "You guys in the National Salvation Army are familiar with the terrain. Can you find a rendezvous point at the bottom of the mountain?"

Zhou Zhiyuan nodded without hesitation: "The old hunter at the foot of the mountain has a tunnel. I will personally lead people to contact him."

Liu Zishan made the decision and said, "Okay, that's settled. Everyone, hurry up and prepare. We must act according to the plan before the Japanese army catches up. Lei Tao, you just experienced a battle, so take a break first. We still need your advice on the next operation."

Lei Tao nodded and found a corner to sit down, resting for a moment while he pondered the details of the upcoming operation. Although he had a rough plan, the Japanese army was cunning and there was no guarantee that unexpected situations would not occur. He kept simulating various possible situations and response strategies in his mind.

At the same time, Zhou Zhiyuan led several National Salvation Army soldiers and carefully moved towards the western ridge under the cover of night. They moved through the mountains and forests like ghosts.

Finally, they approached the Japanese observation post. It was located on a small hill, surrounded by a simple fortification of sandbags and wooden planks. The five Japanese soldiers inside were boredly chatting about which comfort woman in the comfort station was more beautiful, completely unaware of the approaching danger.

Zhou Zhiyuan made a gesture to the soldiers around him, and they dispersed quietly and slowly approached the observation post from different directions.